Christian Dior (left) poses in the garden at La Colle Noire, his home in Montauroux, in a photograph taken by Lord Snowdon. Claude Monet (right) stands beside his pond of water lilies in a 1905 photograph by Jacques-Ernest Bulloz.

When it was time to create a new collection, Christian Dior had a ritual: He went to his garden and sat down among the flowers.

Fashion historian Florence Muller gathered drawings, photographs and paintings by Manet, Monet, Renoir and others for an exhibition on Dior and Impressionism, at the Dior Museum in Granville, the designer's hometown. Granville is a dreary little seaside town in Normandy, France, which these days is festooned with photos of roses in celebration of its native son.

Muller says the garden ritual served Dior from 1947, when he famously invented what was dubbed the New Look, until he died 10 years later, at age 52. An old photograph shows Dior, pudgy and bald (one wag said he "looked as if he were made of pink marzipan"), in his garden, finding inspiration. You can see him in real concentration, sitting at a little table, with a pond behind him — he's thinking and drawing, and creating.

"Each season he had to invent so many dresses, perhaps that's why he's holding his head," says Muller. "It's not so easy, you know, the work of a grand couturier."

When he was 15, Christian Dior helped his mother design their pretty garden in Granville. Up a winding seaside road, the Diors' pink house is a modest one.

"It's not a very important house," says Brigitte Richard, chief curator of the Dior Museum. "In fact, it's a house of a bourgeois family settled in Granville."

Dior's bourgeois father was a fertilizer manufacturer. (Handy, for gardening!)

Like the designer, the artists of Impressionism were also inspired by flowers. Muller picked two photos to make the point.

"You have here the idea of painters in their garden," she explains. "Like Monet, of course, [a famous example of a] garden created by an artist. And on the left side, Christian Dior with his gardens that were also creations designed by him."

Dior stands in his gardens, in a suit and tie. Monet, in suspenders and soft hat, looks more relaxed. But both were flower lovers: Monet put gardens on his canvases; Dior put them on women. Dress collections named for flowers; fabrics patterned with roses, lily of the valley (his lucky flower, he said), embroidered bouquets; full, full, skirts that swirl like petals.

A strapless gown with a gauzy white skirt, once worn by Sarah Jessica Parker, is placed near a Degas ballet class. John Galliano designed the dress — he did the Dior line from the late 1990s to 2011. Other Dior designers include Yves St. Laurent, and these days Raf Simons.

Linking the clothes to Impressionism, a dreary landscape by the young Monet hangs near a dowdy 1956 Dior. Tulips — a watercolor by Berthe Morisot — echoes a brighter Dior, from 1956.

The New Look that put Dior on the fashion map in 1947 — tiny waists, huge skirts, rounded shoulders — made a powerful statement, after all the deprivations of World War II. With his New Look, Dior was saying a new day had dawned.

"It was very important because it was a symbol of a return to prosperity — the beauty of life, you know," Muller says. It was the "return to luxurious things. ... It was like a fairy tale again."

"Dior and Impressionism" continues the fairy tale, with paintings and clothes, at the Dior Museum in Granville. The show ends Sunday.

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Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And speaking of fashion, a fairly dreary little seaside town in Normandy, France, is festooned with photos of roses these days in celebration of a native son. His parents wanted him to be a diplomat. Instead he grew up to become one of the world's most important fashion designers.

NPR's special correspondent Susan Stemberg went to see what the French fuss is all about.

SUSAN STAMBERG, BYLINE: When it was time to create a new collection, Christian Dior, the French say Diar - a gentle gargle - had a ritual. He went to his garden and sat down.

FLORENCE MULLER: Exactly like on this picture, you know, sitting on a table in the middle of these flowers, and he was starting to design these drawings like this. And on (unintelligible) piece of paper, there was one dress.

STAMBERG: Fashion historian Florence Muller gathered drawings, photographs, dresses and paintings by Manet, Monet, Renoir, and others for an exhibition on Dior and Impressionism at Dior Museum in Normandy at Granville, the designer's hometown. She says the garden ritual served Dior from 1947, when he famously invented what was dubbed the New Look, until he died 10 years later at age 52.

Pudgy and bald, one wag said he looked as if he were made of pink marzipan. An old photo shows Dior in his garden, finding inspiration.

It's a very good photograph.

MULLER: Yes.

STAMBERG: You can see him in real concentration, sitting at this little table, with a pond behind him or a fountain. And the man is holding his head, right, with his left hand? He's thinking and drawing - he's creating.

MULLER: Yes. Each season, he had to invent so many dresses. Perhaps it's why he's holding his head. It's not so easy, you know, the work of a grand couturier.

(LAUGHTER)

STAMBERG: Could give you a headache.

(LAUGHTER)

MULLER: Yes, perhaps.

(LAUGHTER)

STAMBERG: When he was 15, Christian Dior helped his mother design their pretty garden in Granville. Up a winding seaside road, the pink house is a modest or, as the French say...

BRIGITTE RICHARD: It's not a very, very important house. But, In fact, it's a house of a bourgeois family settled in Granville.

STAMBERG: The Dior Museum's Dior's chief curator Brigitte Richard. Christian Dior's bourgeois father was a fertilizer manufacturer - handy, for gardening. Like the designer, the artists of Impressionism were also inspired by flowers. Curator Florence Muller picked two photos to make the point.

MULLER: You have here the idea of painters in their garden...

STAMBERG: Right, the most...

MULLER: ...like Monet...

STAMBERG: ...famous gardens.

MULLER: Of course, a garden created by an artist. And on the left side, Christian Dior with his gardens that were also creation, designed by him.

STAMBERG: Dior stands in his gardens, in a suit and tie. Monet, in suspenders and soft hat, looks more relaxed. But both were flower lovers: Monet put gardens on his canvases, Dior put them on women. Dress collections named for flowers; fabrics patterned with roses, lily of the valley - his lucky flower, he said - embroidered bouquets; full, full, skirts that swirl like petals.

STAMBERG: A strapless gown with a gauzy white skirt, once worn by Sarah Jessica Parker, is placed near a Degas ballet class. John Galliano designed that dress. He did the Dior line from the late 1990s to 2011. Other Dior designers: Yves St. Laurent; and these days, Raf Simons.

Linking the clothes to Impressionism, a dreary landscape by the young Monet hangs near a dowdy 1956 Dior; tulips, a watercolor by Berthe Morisot, echoes a brighter Dior, from 1956.

MULLER: For example, here you can see this short dress for, let's say, cocktails.

STAMBERG: The New Look that put Dior on the fashion map in 1947 - tiny waists, huge skirts, rounded shoulders - made a powerful statement after all the deprivations of World War II. With his New Look, Dior was saying a new day had dawned.

MULLER: It was very important because it was a symbol of a return to prosperity the beauty of life, you know, the return to the luxurious things, yes. You know, it was like a fairy tale again.

STAMBERG: Dior and Impressionism continues the fairy tale, with paintings and clothes, at the Dior Museum in Granville. The show ends Sunday in Normandy, France.